The Enugu Poice State Command has arrested two male kidnapping suspects for their alleged involvement in the abduction of a heavily pregnant woman along Eke-Egede Road in Udi LGA, around 9:45 p.m. on April 22, 2024.
The State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Nduke, revealed this in a statement on Saturday.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, has also ordered a manhunt for other members of the kidnapping gang who are still at large. Meanwhile, the victim’s husband, Mr. Ekene Igwe, has praised the Enugu State government for its swift intervention, including taking over his wife’s medical bills.
Nduke further stated that CP Uzuegbu personally led a team of police operatives, supported by the Neigbourhood Watch Group and Forest Guards, to rescue the woman around noon on April 23, 2024, just 24 hours after her abduction.
“Providentially, the woman, later identified as Chinwendu Igwe and already in her expected period of delivery, delivered a male child and, upon her rescue, was taken to the hospital, where she and the baby were medically attended to and are in good condition courtesy of the Enugu State Government, which has undertaken to foot the medical bills of the mother and newborn.
“A preliminary investigation into the incident has revealed that the woman, unaided and for reasons yet-to-be ascertained, knowing that she was within her expected period of delivery, embarked on a journey by land with two of her children from Lagos to her paternal home in Egede, Udi LGA.
“She got to 9th Mile around 9 p.m. Lacking a convenient means of conveyance, she boarded a commercial motorcycle, with the motorcyclist electing to transport her and her two children due to her state of pregnancy.
“However, while on their way, the abductors attacked them, beat up the motorcyclist, and abducted the woman into the forest, leaving the rider and the children behind, before a team of Police Operatives from the Ezinze Police Division of the Command that responded upon intercepting information on the incident, could get to the scene.
“The CP further describes as total misinformation the report by The Nation Newspaper of April 27, 2024 stating that ‘the woman was on her way to the hospital for delivery’ and that ‘the motorcyclist rescued the two children’.
“He, therefore, enjoins media houses to always maintain accuracy and objectivity when reporting security information of this nature to avoid misinforming the unsuspecting public and violating laws and ethics of media practices.
“The CP bemoans the fact that Mrs. Igwe the decided to embark on such long-distance travel by land and unaided, considering her heavy pregnancy and the time of movement to her final destination. Neither did she consider stopping by and having her husband, who resides in the Enugu metropolis, take her to the said paternal home at a later time. Hence, he urges all and sundry to exercise discretion and caution in such circumstances,” the police spokespsrson said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s husband, Mr. Igwe, has highly praised Governor Peter Mbah for the state government’s prompt intervention upon learning about the incident.
He mentioned that Park Lane Hospital is taking care of his wife and child, with the state government covering all expenses and providing financial support to the family.
